YPI creates a community of respect and responsibility for young people. For those whose talents in the visual and performing arts set them apart in their school systems, YPI provides a home base by meeting every year. Creative expression is the ultimate goal. YPI provides access to professional artists who may help guide their careers as the young people mature. These master teachers share both their talent and their wisdom.

Founded in 1981 and housed at the Suffield Academy in Suffield, Connecticut, YPI, Inc. (formerly the Young People’s Institute) is a two-week long co-educational residential summer camp for the creative arts. YPI exists to create a safe and inspirational environment where children of diverse backgrounds and skill levels can feel free to create, explore, grow, and share their talents under the thoughtful guidance of professional artists and caring staff. YPI seeks to produce an environment of cooperative learning for the young people it serves.

YPI is held at the Suffield Academy, a private boarding school in Suffield, CT. The academy is about 25 minutes from the Hartford train and bus stations, and about 20 minutes from Bradley International Airport. Suffield Academy is located at 185 N. Main Street, Suffield, CT 06078.

A one-week session at camp including room, board, and an enthusiastic staff of professional counselors and teachers at your fingertips costs $1,250. If you sign up for two weeks at camp, we offer a discounted rate of $2,200 for both weeks. A $100 discount is applied if you refer a friend or bring a sibling!Request A BrochureRequest Financial Aid

YPI creates a community of respect and responsibility for young people. For those whose talents in the visual and performing arts set them apart in their school systems, YPI provides a home base by meeting every year. Creative expression is the ultimate goal. YPI provides access to professional artists who may help guide their careers as the young people mature. These master teachers share both their talent and their wisdom.

Founded in 1981 and housed at the Suffield Academy in Suffield, Connecticut, YPI, Inc. (formerly the Young People’s Institute) is a two-week long co-educational residential summer camp for the creative arts. YPI exists to create a safe and inspirational environment where children of diverse backgrounds and skill levels can feel free to create, explore, grow, and share their talents under the thoughtful guidance of professional artists and caring staff. YPI seeks to produce an environment of cooperative learning for the young people it serves.

YPI is held at the Suffield Academy, a private boarding school in Suffield, CT. The academy is about 25 minutes from the Hartford train and bus stations, and about 20 minutes from Bradley International Airport. Suffield Academy is located at 185 N. Main Street, Suffield, CT 06078.

A one-week session at camp including room, board, and an enthusiastic staff of professional counselors and teachers at your fingertips costs $1,250. If you sign up for two weeks at camp, we offer a discounted rate of $2,200 for both weeks. A $100 discount is applied if you refer a friend or bring a sibling!Request A BrochureRequest Financial Aid

YPI Programs

Creative Writing

Writing workshops involve a combination of independent creative writing and sharing and collaboration with fellow teachers and classmates. Writers will write, revise, and edit their pieces throughout the week before sharing them with the rest of the camp at We Jazz on Friday afternoon.

Poetry

Discover the power of your words. Young poets will find inspiration and education in each other’s company, aided by the master teachers at every step in the poetic process. Students will learn about the elements of successful poetry, and then apply this knowledge to their own composition. The poets will share and revise their work in a critic’s circle, and then perform their poetry in front of the camp at the end of the week. Young poets will also get the thrill of seeing their names in print when they publish their work in the camp journal. Whether you consider yourself a seasoned poet of just a beginner, this class will transform the way you think about writing.

Short Story

Edgar Allen Poe wrote that the short story “affords unquestionable the fairest field for the exercise of the loftiest talent.” The Short Story workshop at YPI will guide you to exercise your lofty talents as a writer with a week-long exploration of what makes good writing tick. You will learn about the elements of a successful story-plot, character, structure, pace, style - as you write a story of your own, and you will have the opportunity to grow and change as an artist in the dynamic, ego-free environment fostered by YPI’s capable staff. At the end of the week, you will confront one of a writer’s greatest hopes, and greatest fears: publication. By publishing your story online and reading your work in front of the camp, you will get a taste of what it feels like to be a working writer in the public eye. Though this workshop is primarily focused on short story writing, there will be chances to discuss other kinds of writings as well, so aspiring novelists are more than welcome. Whether you’ve just started writing of have been writing your whole life, YPI will help you sharpen your skills and grow into the best writer you can be.

Visual Arts

Whether it is a pen, a paintbrush, a sewing machine or a camera, visual artists all have a certain medium that they like to work with. We offer top-of-the-line equipment for our artists to use during camp and beyond. While bringing your own equipment is encouraged, it is not necessary.

Photography

Are you interested in experiencing the creation of photos in a darkroom? Do you want to work with Photoshop to enhance and mold your digital images? If your answer is yes to either of these questions, then this workshop is for you. Throughout the course of a week, Photographers will explore the basics of picture composition and be given the opportunity to work with both conventional and digital cameras. Photographers will be given the opportunity to work with their images on both Photoshop and in the darkroom. All photographers will learn something new, regardless of their current ability. Work that is selected and hung by each Photographer will then be displayed through a live gallery showing at the end of each week. All skill levels are welcome.

Fashion Design

Obsessed with ‘Project Runway’ and ‘America’s Next Top Model?’ This workshop is for you! Express yourself as a creator in the world of fashion. Our master teachers will introduce you to clothing and fashion design. Students will work with 2-D and 3-D elements while using fabric as a creative medium. Experiment with garment reconstruction, fashion illustration, and theatrical costume too! Sign up for the Fashion Workshop to design, create, and wear your own clothing!

Multimedia in Visual Arts

Explore a variety of media to improve your understanding of various techniques used in 2D and 3D art. Create a series of themed and individualized portfolio based works or art in acrylic & watercolor, charcoal & pastels, clay, printmaking, observational drawing, and more! From fundamental practices to advancement in skill development, students will have the opportunity to incorporate imagination and multimedia exploration into every creation.

Performing Arts

You don’t have to have experience on Broadway to get up on stage at YPI. Through improvisation workshops and guidance from professional actors, singers, musicians, and dancers, campers have a chance to express themselves through movement, instruments, and voice.

Songwriting

In songwriting, you will write an original song of your own and then record a demo of it in a professional studio. Under the guidance of your master teachers, you’ll learn how to take a stroke of creativity and turn it into an idea you can run with. You will also be encouraged to use the other students in your class as the resources they are: bouncing ideas off of them, playing an instrument or singing on their songs, and even writing collectively. With the help of your classmates and your master teachers as “studio musicians,” you’ll record a demo of the song you’ve written perform your song on stage. Songwriters are encouraged to bring their instruments, ideas, and accessories. Prior musical experience is not required.

Jazz Combo

Do you play a band instrument in school and love it? Join the YPI Jazz Combo to keep up your chops! Do you play a band instrument in school and don’t love it? Join the YPI Jazz Combo and learn to love your music! Jazz Combo will go over the basics of playing in a rhythm section, how to follow the form of a jazz tune, and how to begin soloing and improvising. Sign up for the Jazz Combo workshop for a swingin’ good time! (Musicians should bring their instruments to YPI.)

Electronic Music Composition & Production

In this workshop, young musicians and composers of all levels are invited to create, produce and share original works of music. Master Teachers will help guide musicians through the entire process of composition, beat making and sound design. All genres of music are welcome, from classical to contemporary, electronic to hip/hop. Musicians will collaborate and share with their fellow classmates, learning how to properly criticize music and communicate their ideas. The only thing required for this class is an open mind and a willingness to push yourself beyond your limits (but feel free to bring any software or hardware you have that you create noise on)!

Musical Theater

Does busting out in song and dance make your world go ‘round?! Have you always wanted to be a triple threat performer? If you want to enhance your skills, or have always wanted to try, then the Musical Theater workshop is where you need to be this summer! Beginners will get a taste of the fundamentals while seasoned performers will be further challenged in their craft. Everyone will grow while focusing on acting, voice, and dance in a rockin’ musical production.

Dance & Movement

Express yourself through movement. Young dancers will explore body movement and improvisation while developing coordination, grace, and style. Introduction of basic dance steps as well as advanced techniques are emphasized. Students will polish their skills as they improve their confidence, stamina, flexibility, and discipline.

Acting

In this workshop, students will learn to understand the behavior and motivation of a scene through self-exploration, improvisation, and theater games. The goal is for all actors, advanced or beginning, to find the truth and humor within the subtext of a scene and allow their imaginations to soar. Students are encouraged to take risks, explore, and to believe in the power of their creativity all within a safe and supportive environment and while laughing all week long!